This story originally appeared on Them.
For a brief moment, the sky got a lot more glamorous.
Drag queens in Oregon broke an “unofficial, official” record for the most drag queens in a hot air balloon at the same time on Monday, according to a report in Portland CBS affiliate KOIN. All together, 25 queens packed themselves into six air balloons, which flew over the sky of Newberg, Oregon early Monday morning, August 24.
Queens were asked to report for the ride at 6 a.m., which began at 7 a.m. Some didn’t go to bed after working late on Sunday while others woke up hours in advance to get into drag in time to float through the heavens. Queens spent nearly an hour up in the air, per a KOIN broadcast.
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“I have never seen so many queens up so early before, but everyone is very chipper, very excited for the day,” local drag queen Nicole Onoscopi told KOIN. “We’re just all dressed our best. I’m excited.”
Several local queens took part in the balloon ride, with many of them tagged in a series of photos shared on social media by drag queen Kitty KarriAll. Some of the queens present include Mulan Rouge, Ariel View, Bolivia Carmichaels, Shelby Harry, Ina Sapphire Doll, Donna Prima, T’Kara Campbell Starr, Shiso Panda and more.
“The open flame is the only thing that’s a little cautious for drag queens,” local drag queen Poison Waters told KOIN. “We are going to set the world record as the unofficial, official world record for the most drag queens ascending in hot air balloons at the same time.”
Guinness World Record was reportedly slated to attend to witness the ride, according to KOIN but did not show up, which is why participants are now calling this an “unofficial, official” world record.
The weather ended up being calm and cool, perfect for a sojourn into the sky.
“We like really calm winds when ballooning, and we’re very, very fortunate today with the weather. It’s incredibly calm,” Kelly Dorius, the owner of Vista Balloon Adventures, which sponsored the ride, told KOIN. “I couldn’t be happier with the turnout, and I hope that if this is a huge success today, that we can continue doing it in the future, too.”
Nicole Onoscopi shared some behind-the-scenes footage from the balloon ride on her Instagram on Monday evening.
“WHAT A MAGICAL MORNING,” Onoscopi wrote on Instagram. “Today we took to the skies of Newberg with @vistaballoon to set the unofficial world record for most drag queens ascending in hot air balloons at once! Thank you so much Vista Balloons for an experience I’ll never forget and @dr_poisonwaters for organizing the Queens and including me in the fun.”
While Guinness World Records was not present for this particular feat, the reference book does hold many drag-related records, including citations for the oldest drag queen (Robert “Rose” Levine, 91 years, 322 days); the longest-running drag pageant (the Miss Fire Island Pageant, 59 years); the most RuPaul’s Drag Race queens identified in one minute (Pete May, 47); the oldest drag king (Elsie Saldaña, 81 years 160 days); the longest line of dancing drag artists (144 people); the longest drag artist stage show (2 days, 11 minutes, 30 seconds); the largest attendance of a drag time story reading (263 people); the longest-running drag-themed restaurant franchise (Hamburger Mary’s, 52 years) and first drag performer to carry the Olympic torch (Miss Martini).
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